Thoughts on Confronting a San Francisco Shoplifter
Does inaction prevent or invite vigilantism?
Like me, many San Franciscans have thought about it.
With brazen shoplifting now as common as fog in the Outer Sunset district, what would any of us do if a theft happened right before our eyes?
Would we call for help?
Would we challenge the shoplifter?
Would we back off if the shoplifter challenged us?
Would we pull out our cell phones, take photos of the thief, and call the police?
Would we look the other way because it’s someone else’s problem?
Like many, I imagined and weighed the potential risks before deciding that there were too many variables to predict my behavior.
In the meantime, I would just have to surrender to the reality of merchandise lock-ups in my local drug store while shaking my head at the unintended consequence of a 2014 change in the state penal code that — with few exceptions — makes theft during regular business hours of goods valued $950 or less a mere misdemeanor.
Seeing an opportunity, shoplifters have since made drug stores a prime target. Indeed, there have been 750 petty or grand theft incidents at the 40 San Francisco…
